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The wonderful couple’s wedding we shot on Super 8 film in the spring and featured on our blog, is featured on Style Me Pretty Texas today! We are so thrilled to be featured alongside the super-talented Nichols on one of my most favorite wedding blogs!

Some of you may have already heard me buzz about Thursday Therapy–a networking event for wedding professionals that’s just started up in Austin.

Kelly Rucker Photography

It’s a great opportunity to meet, share knowledge and tips, and relax and have fun! We got to go to the inaugural event in June at La Sombra Bar & Grill, and had a wonderful time meeting a lot of new talented people in the industry and left feeling invigorated and with lots of new professional recommendations to share with our brides and grooms. Thanks to the gals from Sweet Pea Events partnered with Kelly Rucker Photography and Doodle Dog Advertising who made it happen!

When I was planning my wedding last year (a wedding rich in creativity and slightly tighter on budget) one of my favorite resources was The Broke-Ass Bride blog for inspirations, ideas, and humor.

Now, the blogger, Dana, needs our help. Reading about her plight really tugged at my heart. I know how trying health-related matters (including autoimmune diseases) can be, on both the spirit and the pocketbook.

Even a broke-ass bride can afford to help out both Dana and the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association by tweeting, Facebooking, blogging, donating a recipe or skills or donating a little or a lot via PayPal. You’ll get back some warm-fuzzy feelings and comfort food recipes!

Thanks ya’ll!

-Shanna

From Dana:

The problem
♥ When I was 19 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Uveitis.
♥ My immune system doggedly attacks my eyes causing inflammation, visual disturbances and blurriness. It is incurable and will cause blindness if left untreated.
♥ I also have a very rare deep-tissue form of a disease called Granuloma Annulare, causing a different type of inflammation in my foot, for which I had surgery last year. It is so rare, I am unable to find a doctor who knows how to treat it moving forward.
♥ I’ve had 11 surgeries (at least one, each year, for the past 5 years), to control my diseases and their side effects.
♥ Last month my left eye came out of remission and I’ll be having a 12th surgery.

My surgeries and ongoing care (even with health insurance) have left piles of bills in their wake, and I am now at a point where, without help, I cannot pay for my medical care.

The solutionOur (amazing) friends in the online community have encouraged us to hold an online fundraiser, but receiving without giving isn’t really our jam. To that end…
♥ We’re compiling beloved comfort food recipes and the stories behind them from the most bad-ass bloggers and beyond… available in varying forms, in exchange for donations to my medical care.
♥ There are incentives for varying levels of donation, which you can learn about here. ♥ The recipes, photos and stories will be teased here on our Dishing for Dana blog, and once a donation is processed, a password to access the full recipes will be released to each donor.

The Goal
♥ $13,000 to cover my current medical bills
♥ $6,032 to cover our health insurance premiums for the remainder of 2011
♥ $2,000 to donate to the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association toward helping others with autoimmune diseaseFor a total minimum of $22,000.

Note that this does not include the costs that will be related to my upcoming surger(ies) and ongoing care, nor for prescriptions or post-surgical supplies such as gauze and tape for my eye patch, or prescribed drugs to aid the healing process and protect from further inflammation and prevent infection, etc.

Dana, The Broke-Ass Bride

The Details
♥ You can donate any amount you choose, no minimum, no rules. Because every quarter is a quarter more than we had yesterday. It all adds up.
♥ We will donate 10% of all proceeds up to our goal, to the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association, so every dollar contributed not only goes toward my medical care, but also toward researching a cure to benefit everyone with autoimmune disease.
♥ Anything raised in excess of the goal will be split 50/50 with the AARDA – our portion of which will be saved in a dedicated, interest-bearing account toward any future surgeries and ongoing medical care.

So, please take a look through the site, learn about the recipes (and the stories behind them) that our amazing friends in the blog community have shared… and please consider making a donation to our cause. Having this autoimmune disease has formed me into the creative, ambitious and irrepressible woman I am today, and it inspired the birth of The Broke-Ass Bride. While no one can yet cure me, the idea that my online community could rally up to ease my condition’s painful and limiting financial side effects… well that gives me hope beyond expression.

Like this:

A friend who’s eloping recently posted that she’s not buying in to the “Wedding Industrial Complex.” It got me thinking. I really do not want brides (and grooms) to see Nostalgia film as part of that complex!

It seems in this industry there are people out to make money off of weddings, but who aren’t particularly passionate about their craft… or weddings! When we got married, we went to one of those typical huge bridal shows. It was sort of overwhelming; it helped to have a Bloody Mary and a sense of humor as we navigated the aisles and aisles of booths and crowds. Only a couple of offbeat and creative vendors really spoke to us and how we pictured our day. Luckily, over the next few months, we were able to find passionate, talented, and kind vendors to help us with all of the aspects of our wedding.

Bridal tintype by Heather Curiel

My friend’s quote made me think about why I want to be involved in filming weddings. Firstly, I love Super 8 film, I love the experience of making Super 8 film, and I love the way it looks. I even love the waiting and anticipation that comes with making a Super 8 film–the complete lack of instant gratification!

And I love weddings. I would have never guessed that I would be someone who loves weddings, until planning one of my own–and more importantly the creative side of planning and the joy and community of the day! I got wrapped up in making so many DIY aspects and learning and getting inspired from wedding blogs. Of course, there is a lot of stressful planning that goes into having a wedding, but what I love is the creativity and heart and soul that goes into creating an event that really reflects you as a couple.

I guess in envisioning what I want Nostalgia Film to be, I want to take that stress out of planning at least one part of the wedding for a couple. I want to create something beautiful, timeless, fun, emotional, and very watchable will be cherished for years and years to come–not only for the bride and groom, but for their family (and children and even grandchildren).